Silence is Overrated
by triolio
Summary: Konoha has always been a destination for refugees, but not all of them make it safely. When a family stumbles into the fire nation and leaves their daughter behind, its up to her to decide her future. With a shaky past, a sharp mouth, and a peculiar skill, she begins her journey. It won't be easy, but she has the #1 annoying ninja and her classmates at her side to help.
1. 1 - Seeking Refuge

There was nothing quite like it. The way that the sun rose over the horizon, teasing at dawn. It was hesitant – light didn't quite fill the sky in the way it did at high noon, but hues of red slowly mingled with the dark night sky until it was impossible to tell where one day ended and the other began. Shadows slowly began to form and stretched until they were intermingled.

It was peaceful.

He'd been staring out into the trees for the last few hours and the only thing that caught his attention was the occasional forest creature rustling the leaves. Nothing to be concerned about – especially in a time of peace… but there he was. _Staring_. With the rising of the sun came the promise of his relief, so he shifted impatiently and trained his eyes ahead. Now he understood why his colleagues had laughed when they saw his name next to _Gate Watch_. Sure, it was easy. And peaceful. And definitely safe. But what good was being a ninja if you weren't using your skills?

A loud sound erupted to his right, startling him out of his chair with a kunai in hand. He dropped it quickly. "Kami, you could wake up the village with that snore!" Silence. He narrowed his eyes. "Hey, we're not taking shifts here. Get up and do your job."

"His partner opened one eye and let it settle into a glare. "Would you relax? It's not like anything's going to happen. This is the _easiest_ job there is."

"But it's still a _job_."

"You're a real buzzkill, y'know? It's been years since the last invasion – the only thing passing through here is that damn squirrel." He motioned his arm in the general direction and let his eye fall shut again, ignoring the sigh of irritation.

But he couldn't ignore the shrill scream that pierced the air.

Both men tensed, throwing their chairs back and immediately jumping to the front of the gates. Their kunais were at the ready, and the first man took a couple of steps forward to determine exactly _what_ that was and _where_ it came from, while the other quickly made a clone to alert all nearby officers. Just in case.

There was another shout, this time distinctly male, although he wasn't yelling anything in particular. It was then that the group came into view: A man, a woman...

And a child.

The two guards immediately ran towards them. They called out for identification as they approached, but before they could get there the man fell to the ground and the child tumbled off his back and landed hard on the grass. "Who are you? What's your business with Konoha? Why –" The man quickly stopped his questioning when his eyes fell on the woman who kneeled down next to her husband. She felt his pulse with her fingers and her eyes began to well up with tears, turning to the two guards with a pleading look on her face. Her feet were bare, bloody, and marred with scars as though she had been walking through the forest for days. Her clothes were hanging on by a thread and her hair was matted in such a way it was certain she'd have to cut it. But the ninja had seen refugees before. That wasn't what made him stop short and gasp.

It was the scars on her head, the ones that replaced her ears and kept her from hearing him. The same scars that her husband had. Raised, but not bloody. Light, but not invisible. As though the years, try as they might, couldn't erase them. The two men looked at each other as more soldiers came from the village, each stopping short upon seeing the scene. The sun had risen enough for day to break, but the ninja had long forgotten his relief from what was supposed to be a boring job. He was the first to come to his senses.

"Well – what are you all waiting for? Get them inside!"


	2. 2 - Entering Konoha

There had been a lot of commotion when she entered the village. Her mother had immediately been wheeled into the hospital, nurses and doctors alike sticking her like a pin cushion. Her father had been taken somewhere else, but nobody said exactly where. It was so _loud_ it was difficult to make out any more than a few words, so she stuck close to her mother and kept her questions to herself. A woman held her back from entering the operating room, saying something but not making much sense, and took her somewhere a little less noisy.

"… hear me? Can you hear me?" The girl's eyes flicked to the nurse. She was crouching in front of her, her kind brown eyes staring down with clear concern on her face. She let out a small sigh of relief when the girl nodded. "Great. What's your name?" The girl furrowed her brows and cocked her head, trying to form words in her head. Her voice let out a mangled bunch of letters that couldn't be made sense of. "It's okay, you don't have to tell me. I'm going to check your health right now. Is that okay?" She nodded again and the nurse went to work.

The girl seemed to be around six or seven years old, in perfect health aside from a few scratches here and there. Her eyes were a rich gold as she stared curiously at the quick hands treating her wounds, but kept her mouth clamped shut instead of asking questions. The nurse motioned to push back the girl's maroon locks but stopped when she saw the look of fear in the girl's face. Her eyes softened and she placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to check if your ears are hurt. Can I?" The girl paused for a moment, seeming to mull over her options, before pushing her own hair back and showing the woman her fully-intact ears. She took a quick look, noting the three small dots behind either ear but deciding now wasn't the time to pry. "Thank you. Your mother should be getting out of surgery soon, follow me to her room."

As she walked down the hallway, golden eyes memorized the twists and turns. They took note of the plethora of unfamiliar faces staring down at her, and turned away from inquiring eyes. The nurse was right when she said her mother would be out of surgery, but she hadn't thought that there would be anyone else in the room.

"H-Hokage-sama!" She dropped her hand from the doorway in surprise and the girl ran into the room, ignoring the man and taking hold of her mother's hand. She smiled down at the girl, obviously in pain but refusing to let it show. Her hand caressed her daughter's cheek and she placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "I'm sorry, if I had known you were coming I would have – "

The old man lifted his hand in dismissal, turning back to the mother. The two of them shared a look and he fingered the piece of paper in his hand. He nodded to her. "Let's let the girl say goodbye to her mother."

"Goodbye, sir?"

The girl looked up at her mother with tears in her eyes, the word registering after hearing the woman say it with such sadness. She shook her head, holding up her hands and beginning to sign. 'You can't. You can't. Where's daddy? Why are you leaving me here alone?' Her breath hitched in her throat and she let out a sob. 'You're okay, right? Mama, you're going to be okay…?'

Her mother smiled sadly and took hold of her daughter's hands, squeezing them. It was her way of telling her to be quiet. To stop asking those questions of hers. 'I love you,' her mother mouthed, before letting her eyes close and slipping away with a smile on her face.

"Ahh!" She screamed, shaking the woman on the bed. The nurse bit her lip and looked away as the girl continued to scream, letting out unintelligible sobs and grunts as tears rolled down her face. The Hokage led the nurse out of the room and let the door shut behind them, muffling the girl's screams but failing to silence them. The further they walked down the hall, the more it became clear that nothing could.

* * *

The Hokage sat at his large desk like he did every day. The windows looked out into his city, crumbled buildings still in ruins from the Kyuubi attack only years ago. The village was silent, despite it being nearly midday. Sarutobi let out a long sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose in mild irritation. His once bustling town, filled with laughter and joy, was silent for the second time in the last decade. The loss of half the village thanks to a demon. The loss of an entire clan except for one boy. If somebody were to tell him his once great village would fall into such discord a decade ago, he wouldn't have believed them.

But here he was. And the village was silent.

"Hokage-sama." Well, except for Ebisu, of course. "It's about that girl."

Right. _Another_ tragedy to deal with. "I assume you're here to tell me that she's being put into good care?"

Ebisu shifted uncomfortably, wondering who the hell had decided that he had to speak to the Hokage about this. "Not quite." He tensed at the Hokage's sharp glare but continued despite it. "I've spoken with the heads of the orphanages across the village, but they've refused to take in a child who is not of this village when more village children become orphans every day. They're already pushing their max capacity."

Sarutobi's eyes skimmed over the letter the girl's mother had given him earlier, furrowing his brow in thought. Ebisu continued. "She doesn't speak, so it's unlikely she can make much of a contribution to the village in terms of funds. As far as I'm aware her parents didn't leave her anything. And she doesn't seem to have been in an academy in her old village, so she wouldn't be able to catch up with the current academy students. We also don't know exactly where she's from, so it could even be possible that she was sent here as a mole – "

"Kami, Ebisu," Sarutobi shook his head in surprise. "What are you suggesting? That I just throw her onto the streets and let her fend for herself? That I have ANBU send her into the forest?" The man in question remained silent, readjusting his sunglasses to keep his composure. Sarutobi held up the letter and shook it at Ebisu, catching his attention. "I know where she's from. I know why they came. They are not _spies_ , Ebisu, they were refugees."

"But Hokage-sama – "

"That's enough." Ebisu bit the inside of his lip to remain silent. Sometimes the Hokage's kindness made him question the safety of the village. First the Kyuubi, then the Uchiha boy, now this _girl_ … It was almost like he enjoyed making Ebisu squirm. "You're right that we can't put her into an orphanage. You're also right that she doesn't have any ninja training." Sarutobi sighed again. He hated when Ebisu was right. "She and her family came here seeking refuge. I am not going to throw a child back into the forest. She stays in this village… but there's really nothing else I can do, is there?" Ebisu shook his head, but the Hokage didn't need to see him confirm it to feel guilt heavy in his stomach. If it had been any other time, perhaps he could have helped. But now… now was not that time. "That'll be all, Ebisu."


End file.
